The Sun has challenged the growing anti-Page 3 campaign by linking the use of its topless models to a breast cancer awareness charity.

It has joined forces with CoppaFeel! in order to encourage women to check their breasts on a regular basis.

Three pages of today's Sun, including the whole front page, plus a leading article, are devoted to the initiative.

Today's Sun front page Public domain

The paper plans to make it a regular weekly feature with Page 3 models involved in "check 'em Tuesday" reminders.

In a video on its website, Sun editor David Dinsmore says: "I'm really proud to be part of this and to be joining up with Coppafeel! We thought we could do some real good with page 3."

And the charity's founder, Kris Hallenga, talks of page 3 being "a brilliant platform to get across a life-saving message. They are the most famous boobs in Britain. And for us to be hopping on the back of that page and The Sun as a whole is a huge opportunity."

Hallenga founded CoppaFeel! in 2009 with her twin sister after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 23. But the late diagnosis meant the cancer spread to her spine and is now incurable.

She launched the charity because she realised that there was no organisation at the time urging young women to be breast aware.

In its editorial, The Sun points out that 12,000 women in Britain die of breast cancer every year. "It is a national cause for concern that the numbers who regularly check their boobs for lumps are so low.

"Only 18% do so as often as once a fortnight. And that's only part of the problem. Almost half of Britain's women wouldn't visit the GP even if they thought something was wrong. Young women are the worst offenders."